This weekend: We’ve got the runs

It’s a big weekend in North Carolina for runs, especially those of the trail variety.

Coast

One thing runners love about trail races is that natural surface trails are easier on the body, especially everything from the waist down. One thing runners aren’t always crazy about: the races tend to be in hilly areas where the prospects of a PR are slim. That’s not an issue with Saturday’s Roanoke Canal Half Marathon & 8K, with follows the historic, flat and natural surface Roanoke Canal Trail. Promises event organizer the Tar River Running Company: “It is honestly a course that is waiting for you to set a PR.” Also recommending the race is the great scenery, both natural and human: the trail takes in the Roanoke River and several lakes, crosses an aqueduct dating to the 1800s, and passes the remains of an old power generation plant. Lots of distractions.

Logistics: Saturday, March 8; the half marathon begins at 8 a.m., the 8K at 8:30 a.m. $65 for the half, $35 for the 8K, registration ends TODAY! More info: 252.443.4566, tarriverrunningco@gmail.com

The Charlotte version of the River Bound Race Series (there’s also an Asheville series) begins Saturday with a 5K and 8K at Renaissance Park. The four-race series is put on by North Carolina Outward Bound; other venues and dates in the series are Fisher Farm Park (5K, 10K), May 18; U.S. National Whitewater Center (5K, 15K), July 20; Anne Spring Close Greenway (5K and half marathon), Sept. 21.

Logistics: Saturday, March 9, 8 a.m.; $30 for the 5K, $35 for the 8K, tack on another $5 on race day. Register here. More info: Luiz Leonetti 704.239.2121, lleonetti@ncobs.org, and here.

Rounding out the weekend running schedule is Saturday’s Healthy Parks, Healthy You 5K Fun Run at the Buncombe County Sports Park in Asheville. This is a mellow event — it’s not even timed. Mellow pricing, too.

Coastal Guide
Comprehensive calendar including nature programs from a variety of costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs. Covers the entire coast.

Crystal Cost Tourism Authority
Comprehensive calendar focusing on the Crystal Coast. Good source for programs offered by N.C. Coastal Federation, Cape Lookout National Park, N.C. National Estuarine Research Reserve and other costal conservation and research agencies that offer nature programs.

NCCoast.com
Comprehensive calendar including programs for the Outer Banks and Crystal Coast.

North Carolina Coast Host
Comprehensive calendar for the entire coast that lets you search for events by day, by region, by county, by city or by event (based on key word).

Blue Ridge Outdoors
Searchable calendar lets you extend your reach to events throughout the mid-Atlantic and Southeast (or you can just limit it to North Carolina). Also lets you search a boatload of categories, ranging from Hiking, Mountain Biking and Climbing to Trail Running, Triathlon and Road Walking.

North Carolina State Parks
Lets you search for programs at the state’s parks, recreation areas and natural areas by location, by month, by topic. To reach the calendar from the home page, click on “Education,” then “Fun & Free Programs at Parks.”

National Forests in North Carolina
From the home page, click on Carolina Connections for news updates on the state’s four national forests as well as hints on recreational opportunities and a detailed rundown of recreation areas and the amenities at each.

Featured Pages

GetHiking! Corporate before hitting the trail at Hanging Rock State Park.

If you’re interested in bringing all the wellness benefits of hiking to your workplace, we can help.

GetHiking! Corporate is an 8-week, employer-sponsored program designed to get employees out of their cubicles and into the woods. What’s the difference between walking a few times around the building at lunchtime and hiking for a couple hours on the weekend? Rather than rushing to get in those laps before you return to your desk, you’ll be challenging mind and body as you move on natural surface with more ups and downs, twists and turns. Rather than focusing on the email you need to send, you’ll be navigating trees and rocks, allowing your brain to shift focus and stress to flow right out of you. In eight short weeks, you’ll be more relaxed, have more stamina, and be more ready than ever to tackle whatever work challenges come your way.

Our program includes eight weekly guided hikes, with tips on how to fit cross-training activity into your life between hikes. We can do hikes before work (a great way to get the juices flowing for the workday ahead) or after work (a nice way to wind down) or on the weekend.

Our clients include SAS, IQVIA (formerly Quintiles), MetLife and BlueCross and BlueShield of North Carolina, and Novo Nordisk.

If you’d like us to bring this program to your company, let your wellness coordinator know. Contact us for rates and scheduling at joe@getgoingnc.com or 919.791.6155.

Hiking regularly, or making a hike a part of your regular exercise regimen, can have a dramatic impact on your physical and mental health. It’s something nearly everyone can do, and it’s a lifelong activity, something you can do long after your body has said no to more aggressive outdoor pursuits.

Hiking reduces your chances of heart disease.

Hiking on a regular basis can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 10 points.

A frequent walk in the woods can help reduce your chances of getting diabetes. If you already have the disease, hiking, combined with a proper diet, can reduce or even eliminate the need for insulin therapy.

As a weight-bearing exercise, hiking can help stave off osteoporosis.

A regular exercise program centered around hiking, coupled with a sound diet, can help you achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Depending upon your pace and other factors, you can burn up to 500 calories per hour hiking.

A walk in the woods can clear your head — and that’s not us talking, that’s your endorphins, according to recent studies. It’s also effective at reducing stress and relieving anxiety.

GetHiking! has Meetup-based hiking groups in North Carolina in Charlotte, the Triad, the Triangle and Western North Carolina, and in Charlottesville and Virginia Beach in Virginia., with a combined membership of more than 8,200. Emphasis for each group is on local hikes; about once a month we try to do a combined hike, either in the mountains, the Uwharrie National Forest or at one of the larger state parks in the Piedmont.

Find out what hikes we have coming up, what hikes we’ve done and sign up for the GetHiking! Meetup nearest you, by visiting:

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